Differentiation in the Classroom

how to teach mixed level classes not all students are equal they have different experiences abilities and skills which makes teaching these unique students very challenging for us teachers today I want to talk about how we can teach mix level classes and how to use differentiation to improve classroom instruction let's say we have four students Sally who is Advanced Jack and Jenny who are intermediate and Billy a lower level student if we teach the same lesson to all the students it won't be that effective make it too easy and Sally isn't challenged make it too difficult and Billy won't understand so we have to find a way to reach all these students to make sure they reach their potential many people say use the buddy system place a weaker student with a stronger partner in theory if you you play Sally with Billy she would help him while it leaves you free to deal with the rest of the class also by teaching the content Sally will actually be mastering the content false in most cases this is the wrong method why is teaching Sally's responsibility she isn't paid to do your job and babysits her classmate Sally is using her time teaching which means she isn't learning anything new she isn't improving she might not be a good tutor or they might not get along Billy becomes dependent on Sally and that crutch destroys his own confidence and development here's a tip if you do want to pair your students up what you could do is Place students in groups or with a partner that is a similar level to them so that they can get through the work together plus they get a sense of of accomplishment because they had to work hard to do the work so Eric how do I deal with mixed level classes well you've got two options find the middle ground and teach that or differentiate your classes the middle ground route isn't always very effective because Sally might not be challenged enough or Billy will find it too difficult also teachers are expected to cover certain work on the syllabus which means that that they might not be able to select the perfect work to cover that is suitable for all the students that brings us to differentiation you've probably heard this word a lot in education what is differentiation differentiated teaching occurs when a teacher plans a lesson that adjusts either to the content being discussed the process used to learn or the product expected from students to ensure that that Learners at different starting points can receive the instruction they need to grow and succeed what does this mean you have to add different levels to your lesson that can suit the different levels of the mixed classes for example you do a lesson about cars lower level can make basic sentences about caruse simple vocabulary short sentences at the base level you expect more talking about a trim went on with a car deeper vocabulary and at an advanced level they can look at electric cars versus gas cars the history of cars Etc you have the same lesson but provide Learners different options in learning this might sound difficult and like a lot of additional work but ultimately you will improve as a teacher and you will have better classes students will learn and enjoy your classes and if you repeatedly use this mindset it will become second nature to you do not resist change because it seems difficult embrace it and your whole approach to education will improve for the better differentiation how do you do it content process and product content is what you are teaching process is how they will learn it the activities and product is how they will will show what they have learned add different levels of knowledge they have to acquire have different activities for students to achieve Mastery of the skills give students multiple opportunities to improve their Mastery so let's look at content first determine what you want the class to learn what knowledge and objectives would you like them to achieve write those down that is your base the average student in class should achieve that then write down what you want Advanced Learners to learn how can you challenge them to achieve even more remember that word challenge then think about your lowest level students how can you assist them and what base knowledge would be more manageable for them they should not be overwhelmed but they should feel a sense of accomplishment after achieving the outcome that is how you differentiate the content also remember to align the content of what you are teaching them to to their own lives experiences or interests that way they can have more connections they can attach their learning to differentiate the process teach the content in various ways tell the students write vocabulary on the board show them examples or video the more connections they can form the easier it is for them to understand don't overlook how important this part is for Learners at the start of learning if they don't understand the basics you you'll lose them and struggle to regain their attention for the rest of the lesson a good way to start a lesson is by telling a story giving them an example that brings out their experience and makes them use their imagination if you're teaching the past tense you'll start by telling the students a story from your past weekend or an experience using the past tense you can then ask the students for some verbs of what they did then write them on the board for lower students they can give basic Expressions more advanced Learners can give full sentences establish more connections for your Bas students write down what activities they should be able to perform at the end of the lesson maybe something like telling a story about a past experience then have advanced Learners do something even more difficult compare their own lives to those of their grandparents for lower levels make basic sentences about what they did yesterday it's the same for other activities have a base of what you expect them to do challenge more advanced Learners and support lower levels remember to offer students options they will feel empowered if they have aay in their education you can also employ different stations in each class at each station they do something different like here they change a sentence into the past tense uh there they have to watch a short video and write down what happened in the past tense over there they pick up an item from a box and tell a story about it using the past tense you can leave instructions at a station or get students to take turns being a station leader that way everyone is involved something I want to add is the use of games games are a great way to include all levels of English Learners even a game geared towards beginners can give Advanced students a chance to practice speaking and listening make sure that there is active participation meaning that every student gets a chance it's fun if the game relies on a bit of luck by using dice or fun activities like tossing a ball you could also place the students into mixed teams fun activities get the most out of our students by making learning exciting differentiate outcomes how can students demonstrate their learning learning allow them to prove it in a way that suits them give them multiple options or set different standards for what they need to create if they have to do a dialogue the base or middle could be a conversation with a friend for beginners it could be something simple like making simple sentences together and with Advanced students they have to create a sketch or do a role play make sure that there are multiple ways for students to prove that they have reached the outcomes for the lesson the reason we do so many activities in groups or pairs is so that the teacher can walk around the room and give personal attention to the students definitely reach out to beginners and students that require more attention and support the advanced students to help them achieve Mastery I hope everybody understands the process behind differentiation it's not difficult it is just a another way of thinking as a teacher differentiate the content the process and the product practice doing it in class and it will become second nature students will love your classes because it challenges them and allows them to grow at their own pace

Channel: Etacude English Teachers

Views: 5,151

Keywords: Differentiation in education, Classroom differentiation strategies, Teaching mixed-level students, Differentiated instruction techniques, Inclusive teaching methods, Adaptive teaching strategies, Meeting diverse student needs, Individualized learning plans, Student-centered differentiation, Inclusive teaching practices, Addressing diverse learning styles, Managing mixed-ability classrooms, Effective differentiation for teachers, Teaching a range of student abilities

Id: vGfT0k2Uj_w

Length: 9min 46sec (586 seconds)

Published: Tue Feb 06 2024